Mike and Maria Kanellis Reportedly Requested Their Releases From WWE

Mike Kanellis and Maria Kanellis, currently members of the 205 Live roster, both recently requested their releases from WWE according to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet.

“Sources tell us the Kanellis’ have been unhappy with the way they’ve been used in WWE for awhile and finally made the decision a few weeks ago to request their releases,” Ryan Satin reported.

Mike, real name Michael Bennett, made a name for himself in Ring of Honor from 2008-14. Alongside Matt Taven and (real-life wife) Maria he became known for being a tag team specialist as part of The Kingdom faction, which earned him tag titles in both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2016 both Bennett and Kanellis made the jump to Impact Wrestling, where they’d stay until March 2017.

The pair would quickly sign with WWE and made their debut at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in June 2017, with Bennett changing his last name to Kanellis to reflect him taking Maria’s last name. The two were booked as an overly affectionate heelish couple, but their gimmick didn’t seem to stick as Kanellis only wrestled four matches on SmackDown Live and once on the Battleground pay-per-view before being taken off television.

In August 2017 Bennett came out publicly with the revelation that he had been suffering from a painkiller addiction for the past three years, and that he was making the effort to get clean. A month later the two announced that Maria was pregnant with their first child (Fredica Moon Bennett, born on April 3). Bennett began his road to sobriety via the WWE’s company recovery resources, and by October he was happy to report that he had gone three months without using painkillers in a WWE Network interview special.

The couple were quietly moved to the Monday Night Raw brand in April 2018, though their only consistent appearances were on Main Event. The two made the jump to the 205 Live brand back in October and have been primarily feuding with the members of Lucha House Party.

The report on the Kanellis’ wanting to leave the company comes hot off the rumors that Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival might be looking to leave the company in the near future. WWE has seen a number of their former stars pop up elsewhere recently as Chris Jericho and Neville (Pac) both announced on Jan. 8 that they were joining the new All Elite Wrestling promotion run by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Tony Khan.